Pain
by Writerandreader
Summary: Being mental isn't fun. Old story! Sorry if there's mistakes! I'm not re-writing this!
1. The beginning

I got to sleep hearing yelling and sometimes glass breaking. My parents fight almost everyday. They don't care if I hear or how it makes me feel.  
I'm Leah. I'm supposed to be called Leah Roslyn but it's too much to say.

My dad hurts my mom because she isn't perfect which leads to me cutting my arms. I have 'L' and 'H' on my arms. I feel no pain. My dad hurts me once in a while but he really only hurts my mom.  
I love my mom and I hate seeing her get hurt.

Chapter1: The Beginning.  
My parents are arguing over stupid stuff while I'm in my room.  
My dad walked in and knocked me on the floor. Tears were streaming down my face.  
"Oh, quit crying. You're such a baby. Why don't you just leave and not come back?"  
"John, leave her alone!" My mom said.  
My dad turned around and slapped her in the face, knocking her over.  
"Stop!" I screamed.  
He turned around to face me and slapped **me **in the face. "Shut up!"  
He kicked me in the side and left. I cried harder.

Then I hear a police siren outside our front door.  
A man walks in and grabs my arm, walking me outside, putting me in one of the cop cars.  
I haven't said anything. I close my eyes.

The door opens and someone takes my arm again. I open my eyes as someone walks me into a white building.  
The walls inside are white and people are walking around, some holding nurses' hands.  
They take me into a small room with two chairs. A lady walks in sitting in one while the cop sets me in the other. He leaves.  
"Can you tell me your name?" She asks. I don't answer her. "We promise we won't hurt you."  
I take a deep, shaky breath. If I don't tell them now, I'd have to say it later. "Leah." I say quietly but loud enough that she can hear me.  
"Good. Would you tell me about your parents?"  
I nodded, looking up at her. I told her about my parents fighting and I put my arm on the table at the end.  
I lifted up my sleeve and showed her all the cuts. She gasped but it wasn't loud.  
"Why do you do this?"  
"I don't like seeing my mom being hurt. I love my mom. I guess I do this to forget about my parents fighting."  
"When did you start?"  
"I started a few months ago; when I got my braces. My dad was mad at my mom for wasting money on me instead of giving him money to buy beer."  
She wrote something down. "Leah, you'll be staying here until everything with your parents gets better."  
"Okay. Can you tell me how my mom is every few days?"  
"Yes. We'll tell her how you're doing."  
"Thank you."


	2. Problems Lead to Tragedy

Chapter2  
"I'm Mrs. Lane. But you can call me Mrs. Suzie. Is there anything I can get you?"  
"Could someone get some of my stuff from my house?"  
"Sure, honey. Write down what you want and I'll have someone get them for you."  
"Thank you."  
I wrote down these four things:  
1. My guitar.  
2. My sketch book with the colored pencils.  
3. My stuffed elephant.  
4. The picture of my mom and me.

I handed the pad of paper to her and she walked out.

I walked over to the window and felt the cool breeze. I turned around and heard a police siren outside. I fell to my knees, covering my ears with my hands. I started crying. "Make it stop, please!" I screamed.  
I felt a hand of my back. "Leah." Mrs. Suzie repeated, trying to calm me down.  
She rubbed my back and put my head on her shoulder.  
The noise stopped but I kept crying.  
"What's wrong with me?" I asked quietly.  
"There's nothing wrong with you. You've just had bad experiences."  
"Why me?" I moaned.

Ever since my incident, there's always been someone in my room with me. They moved me to a room away from any roads.  
I woke up and saw my stuff beside my bed. I grabbed my sketch book and pencils and started drawing.  
"How are you feeling today?"  
"I'm fine."

One week later:  
I woke up and I saw my mom in a chair beside me.  
"Mom!" I moved over and she sat down beside me. I hugged her.  
"Are you ok?"  
"I'm fine."  
"They didn't put you in a straight jacket, did they? Because I know you're not crazy."  
I shook my head. "No."  
"They finally let me come and see you. I would've come earlier if I could."  
"I know. Umm… Mrs. Suzie, can my mom stay?"  
"She can stay for a few days."  
"Okay."

My mom and I talked about the past few days, going into detail about what happened before.

Four Days Later:  
"Come back when you can." I said, hugging my mom.  
"I will."  
"I love you, mom."  
"I love you, too." She hugged me then she left.  
Mrs. Suzie and I walked back to my room.  
I crawled into bed and fell asleep.

Mrs. Suzie walked over to me and sat down. She didn't look that happy.  
"Leah, there's something I should show you."  
"What is it?"  
She put a newspaper on my lap and I read the headline: Local Women Dies in Car Accident. There was a picture of my mom beside it.  
I shook my head. "No, she can't…" Tears welled up in my eyes.  
She took the newspaper and put it behind her. I pulled my legs up to my chest, put my arms on them and I cried.  
I can't believe it. I just saw my mom last night. She couldn't be….  
Mrs. Suzie wrapped her arms around me. I hid my face under her arm and cried until I fell asleep.

I woke up and saw Mrs. Suzie putting the blinds up. "'Morning."  
I tried to smile but it didn't work.  
She walked out of the room and I managed to get out of the bed, grab my guitar pic, and put it again my wrist.  
I didn't know what was happening. Mrs. Suzie walked in, froze, yelled something into the hall, and moved out of the way for a doctor to come in. I cringed.  
He took the pic and my arms and sat me on the bed. He moved me back, making me lay down.  
"No." I whispered.  
He strapped belts or something, pinning my arms down. I closed my eyes.  
I heard him come back in and I opened my eyes. He had a needle in his hand. "Don't! Please!"  
He put it in me and my breath caught. Tears welled up in my eyes and I fell asleep.

I woke up and the straps weren't covering me. I turned on my side as the tears rolled down my face.  
Mrs. Suzie walked up to me and rubbed my hair. "Honey, everything's fine now. You don't have to cry."  
I took a deep breath.


	3. Adoption

Chapter3: Adoption  
"Leah, there's something I've wanted to ask you for a while."  
"What? It's not bad, is it?"  
"No, it's not bad." She smiled. "Leah, how would you like to come live with me when you're done here?"  
I nodded.  
"Good. You do know that this is adoption I'm talking about, right?"  
I nodded.  
"I'll pick up the papers before I head home tonight. I think you're almost ready to leave here, as well."  
I smiled.

Someone walked in that afternoon and started asking me lots of questions. Some doctor. I don't know.  
"Can you tell me what happened?"  
I knew what she was talking about. "I don't exactly know. Something happened and I freaked. I saw that picture of my mom and I got so upset."  
"Mhm."  
She asked a few questions then she left.  
I asked Mrs. Suzie if I could walk around and she said that I could only go if she went along. I understood.  
We passed some people: two men who looked around 30-something, an older lady, and a young girl around my age.  
We walked into a lady's room: Violet. She visits me every now and then. She told me once that she only sees people who aren't really crazy. That's only a hand full of us. Mainly the people who have self-control.  
I walked in and she was reading a book.  
"Hi." I said, sitting in the chair beside her bed.  
"Hello, Leah. How has your week been?" She looked up at Mrs. Suzie.  
"It's been… ok."  
"I hear that you'll be going home in a few weeks." I nodded. "I will miss seeing you around here everyday."  
"Me too. I'll come and visit often." I looked at Mrs. Suzie and smiled. She put her hands on my shoulders.  
We talked for a while then a nurse came in and told us it was Violet's nap time.  
We left.

We walked back to my room and I picked up my guitar.  
"Can I have my pic? I promise I won't do anything bad."  
She looked hesitant. "I trust you not to do anything bad." She handed the pic to me.  
"I know. Thanks."  
I started playing 'Call Your Name' by Daughtry since I've heard Mrs. Suzie singing some of their music.  
She smiled.  
I'm the type of person who likes music but won't sing it. I just play the music.

After that, I played 'The Only Exception' by Paramore.


	4. A New Family

Chapter4: A New Family  
Mrs. Suzie walked over to me and sat in the chair beside the bed.  
She got some papers out.  
"I need you to fill some of this out for me, okay?"  
I nodded.  
"Oh, and you can call me 'mom' if you want, but you don't have to if you don't want to."  
I smiled.

The papers were just asking for food likes, dislikes, hobbies etc.  
I figured Mrs. Suzie got most of the information from my files.

I filed the papers out then handed them back to her.  
She put the papers in her coat pocket, got up, and walked over to the dresser. She got something out; clothes, I'm guessing.  
She came back over and handed them to me: the clothes I wore when I first came here.  
"Put these on then when can pack up your stuff."  
I saw the suitcase. "I'm going home?" I said, pretty happy.  
She smiled. "Yes. Let me know when you're done." She stepped out of the room, closing the door.  
I changed into my clothes then I knocked on the door.  
Mrs. Suzie walked in and put the suitcase on the bed. It was a small suitcase since I only had a few things.  
I put my sketch book and pencils in then the picture. I put a couple pairs of clothes in; the only ones I had. My guitar was in the case beside it and I had my elephant in my arm.

Before we left, I told Mrs. Suzie that I needed to see some people before I left.

I stopped in Violet's room first, giving her a hug and getting a bracelet from her.  
Then we went to see Rosie: she was 9, short, with long red hair.  
I gave her a hug, promising her that I'd visit.  
Mrs. Suzie talked to one of the doctors for a few minutes then we walked out to her car.  
She put my stuff in the trunk and I got into the back seat.  
"It takes 30 minutes to get home." She said.  
She looked back at me and I must've looked worried.  
"It'll be ok. I talked to my husband about this."  
"Does he know?"  
She shook her head. "I've told him of you but not much about you. He knows about your condition but nothing more. We can tell him when we get home."  
"Mom?" I asked. It felt… natural to say that not strange like I thought it'd be. "Do you have any… other kids?"  
"I have a daughter, Emily and a son, Sam. Emily's 20 and Sam's 15."

When we got there, we left my stuff in the trunk, just walking inside.  
The house was big. It had a window in the middle, where the stairs were. The nearest house was near the beginning of the driveway. There was a huge yard surrounding the house, with trees all around it.

When we got inside, Sam was on the computer but he got up and walked over when we walked in. "There's my new sis."  
He hugged me, spinning me around in a circle. When he set me down I was a little dizzy.  
"Woah, am I gonna get this everyday?"  
"Probably." He said, laughing. I laughed.  
"Where your father?"  
"I think he's in the garage. I'll get your stuff." He jogged out and got my stuff.

"You play the guitar?" He asked, walking in.  
I nodded.  
"You any good?"  
"I guess." I said with a smile.

Emily walked in and gave me a hug.  
Sam walked out the door again. Mom led us to a table.  
"Leah, this is Emily." I nodded. "Emily, I worked with Leah at the hospital. She was my… patient. If anything ever happens, call me at work, ok?"  
"Mom, I know how this works. You can trust me on this."  
Sam walked in and sat on the other side of mom. Mr. Lane walked in and gave me a hug.  
"Welcome home." He said. I smiled.  
"Sam, I'll tell you the same thing I told Emily, if anything happens, call me at work."  
"Mom, I got it. Don't get yourself worked up over this." I smiled.  
He stood up and put his hand up to me. "I'll give you the tour."  
I put my hand in his and we walked out.

We walked upstairs and he opened a door. "This is where you'll be staying."

He showed me his room, Emily's room, his parents' room, a game room, the bathroom, the downstairs, and the garage.

We walked into the game room and Sam asked me to play fooz ball.  
Later that night  
I couldn't sleep so I walked downstairs to the living room.  
Mom saw me. "Come here." I sat down beside her.

I watched a little TV with them until I fell asleep.

"Don't wake her up. Let's let her sleep here. She's had a long day." She kissed my forehead. "'Night."


	5. Minor Incident

Chapter5: Minor Incident  
I woke up to the smell of pancakes.  
"Mm… smells good." I said, walking in.  
"Did you sleep well?"  
I nodded. "Yeah, I had a long day yesterday."  
"Here you go." She set the plate in front of me.  
"Are you going to work?"  
"No, sweetie. I took the week off to stay home with you; make sure you're ok."  
"You didn't have to."  
"I won't be missing out on much. They won't need me for anything."

Later that day  
"Let's go shopping, you and me. You need more clothes."  
I smiled.  
She grabbed my hand and we walked out the door.

We went and shopped around the mall, going to different stores.

When we got home, we carried all the bags up to my room. I pulled out one of drawers and grabbed some on my clothes.  
"Thanks for taking me today."  
"You're welcome, honey." She kissed my head. "Anytime."  
She changed the subject. "You know, school starts at the end of the month."  
"I've never liked school."  
"Neither did I. I've got you enrolled in a private school."  
"Private school?"  
"It's a Christian school. Sam goes there so you won't be alone. I figured it was best that he went to a school that was… controlled but he doesn't get picked on at all. It's better than most public schools."  
"Do I have to wear a uniform?"  
"Yes."  
I rolled my eyes. Of course.

Sam and I played video games for a while then he took me for a ride on his dirt bike.

Later that night:  
Emily took me to see a movie.  
Something went wrong inside me and I passed out.

I woke up staring at white lights.  
"Leah." Someone said beside me. "Leah, it's Emily." She paused for a minute. "Mom, Leah's at the hospital. She passed out."  
Mom talked on the other line.  
"She's going into surgery. It's something that happened with her other dad. The doctor didn't tell me everything."  
Silence.  
"Bye."

I felt myself slipping…

A scene drifted together: I was in my old house, sitting at the table, with my biological parents. I couldn't move or talk, I just watched.  
My parents were laughing: a happy family; what I always wanted.

Then the scene shifted. I was in my new house with my family, laughing. Completely at ease.

I heard beeping noises and voices.  
I opened my eyes and saw my mom beside me.  
"Oh, Leah!" She was crying.  
"Stop crying." I said with a weak smile.  
"I'm just so glad you're ok."  
"I'll be fine."  
"The doctors said that your appendix was taken out."  
"Yum, ice cream."  
She smiled. "You have to stay here for 5 days then you can come home."  
"5 days? Ugh, I hate this place."  
She patted my hand. "I'll stay here with you."  
"We could take shifts. I could stay at night and go home in the morning while you come and stay with her during the day." Dad said.  
"That's sounds fine."  
"I'll be right back. I'm going to go get Sam and Emily."

Once he left, I moved over and patted the bed. Mom came up and sat beside me, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. She started rubbing my shoulder. I leaned into her side.  
"Mom?"  
"What is it?"  
"That was **so **not worth it. The movie sucked."  
She laughed.  
"You know how you said that if anything happens, that we should call you?"  
"Yeah."  
"I thought you'd be mad." I shook my head. "I'm just glad Emily called the hospital first."  
"I'm not mad. At either of you. Emily did the right thing."  
I heard the door open and close quietly but when I looked towards it, I couldn't see anyone.  
"How'd you get here?"  
"Thomas gave me a ride. I told him what happened and he dropped me off." It was Sam.  
I saw him sit down on the bed at our feet.  
"Hey, Leah. Emily called and told me what happened."  
I smiled.  
"So, you'll be eating ice cream all week. Man, I wish I was lying there right now." He grinned.  
"It's not all fun. I'd give anything to be sitting **there**, in your place."  
He laughed. "The more time you spend in a hospital bed, the more you like your own."  
Mom kicked him gently.  
"Hey! I'm just stating a fact."  
I smiled again.  
"See, I got her to smile."  
"Why don't you go get something to eat?"  
"Mom, how can I eat when I'm here? The food's not that good."  
She sighed. "Tell your father to go home now and get some rest. You should go with him, too."  
He sighed. "I'll tell him. I'll be back later." He looked at me. "Get some rest."  
I rolled my eyes. "I will."  
"See you."  
He left.

"You really should get some sleep."  
"What time is it?"  
"It's around 3 in the morning."  
"You think I can sleep right after they put me out for surgery? Not happening."  
"At least try and get some sleep."  
"I'll try. That's all I can offer."  
She pulled up the blanket and I fell asleep after 10 minutes.


	6. A New School

Chapter 6: New School  
It was the first day of school and I was already feeling nervous.  
"You look good." Mom said, pulling my hair away from my shoulders.  
"Stockings? Really? Clearly whoever designed this was blind."  
She laughed. "It looks nice on someone who makes it look good."  
I sighed and slung my backpack strap over my shoulder.

Later that day  
School was almost over and I was in my last class: English.  
I was in seventh grade now. I made lots of friends in all my classes so I wouldn't have to be quiet the whole time. I'm glad I'm not going to a different school. Who knows if I would've made friends or if anyone would've talked to me at all? I might actually like school.  
The teacher, Ms. Taylor asked everyone to write down what happened during their summer breaks. I have so much I could write.  
I figured if I wrote this down, the teacher would treat me specially and I don't want special attention.  
I wrote down that I went to the hospital, twice, and that I got adopted.

I was walking past Ms. Taylor's desk when she stopped me. "Leah, can I see you for a minute?"  
I stopped and looked at her.  
"Is this all true?" She looked… sad.  
I nodded. "It may seem like it's bad but it ended up as a good summer-in the end."  
She looked at the letter for a few seconds then she noticed me still there. "Oh, sorry. You can leave now."  
I smiled and left.

"How was school?"  
"Fun." I admitted.  
"Did you make any new friends?"  
I nodded.

I went to bed earlier than before I normally do.

The Next Day  
I was talking to my friends, Laura and Tara, when a boy named Thomas walked up to me. I could feel myself smiling and Laura whispered to me: "Let us know what happens at lunch!"  
I nodded.  
"Hi."  
He had glasses, shaggy hair (only in the bangs), and dimples. "You're the new girl?"  
"I guess so. Don't you think there'd be any other new kids?"  
"Not that I've noticed." He said, smiling at me, showing his dimples. I smiled too.  
"What's up?"  
He looked around us. "Do you have a boyfriend?"  
I shook my head and I could feel my face turn light pink.  
He put his hand on the locker. "Would you like one?"  
"Yes." I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. I was almost hyperventilating.  
"Cool." He stood up straight. "Umm… oh, right. Thanks."  
"You're welcome."  
He kissed my cheek and I felt my face get hotter and redder. "I'll see you at lunch."  
"Okay." I was breathless, I almost passed out. After he left, I put my back against the locker and smiled. I ran to the cafeteria, skipping the line, and sat down by Laura and Tara.  
"Did he?" She asked, excited.  
I nodded. "He asked me out!"  
We started squealing until a teacher came over and shushed us.  
They hugged me.  
"Lucky you," Tara said, unhappily. "I can't get anyone here to ask me out."  
I shrugged. My face was starting to cool down and go back to it's original color. Then Thomas came over and sat down.  
I whispered in Laura's ear: "Don't go. I'll freak."  
"We got your back, don't worry." I took a deep breath.  
He down beside me, without food, and grabbed my hand under the table. I felt myself blush and smiled.  
I felt is lips at my ear and I froze; my breathing stopped dead. "You blush?"  
"I guess I do. I never knew I blushed until a few weeks ago."  
"Really?"  
I nodded.  
"How come you aren't eating?"  
"I'm not hungry today. What about you?"  
"Same reason, I guess." He said, casually.

Before I left school Thomas stopped me at my locker. "I guess I'll see you Monday."  
I tucked a lose strand of hair behind me ear. "I guess so."  
He handed me a piece of papers with numbers on it. "Call me. If you want to."  
I laughed. "Of course I want to."  
It started to get a little awkward. "Good."  
He hugged me then we parted our separate ways.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" Sam asked me.  
"Oh, it's nothing."  
He laughed. "I saw you with Thomas Sprat today."  
"So?"  
"**You** like him." He said, bumping his shoulder into mine.  
I bumped him back. "So what if I do?" I felt my face getting hot and red. Oh, no, he'll know for sure.  
"Did he ask you out?" He figured it out. Uh-oh.  
I nodded.  
"I'm telling mom!" He teased, jogging if front of me.  
"No you're not!" I yelled back, running after him.

He almost beat me home but I threw myself in front of the door, holding the knob. I was breathing heavy from running.  
"I won't let you in."  
"I'll just have to get passed you, then." He grabbed my arm and tried to move me out of the way.  
I opened the door a crack and squeezed through it. I put my back against the door and tried to close it but Sam was stronger.

Mom walked in then and I started to slip. "What are you two doing?"  
"Leah's got a boyfriend!" Sam yelled from behind the door.  
I turned around and growled: "Shut up! I was gonna tell her."  
"Too bad, I told her."  
I shoved the door closed and locked it. Then I dropped my backpack and walked over to mom.  
"You have a boyfriend?"  
"I was gonna tell you."  
She hugged me, which was **not** what I thought would happen.  
"Congrats'"  
I smiled. "Thanks." I had no idea she'd act like this.  
"Now, go open the door."  
I walked over and opened it. Sam was leaning against the wall beside the door, he looked over at me.  
He slung me over his shoulder and ran up the steps. I was screaming and laughing. He tossed me down on the bed and I was panting.  
"So?"  
"She didn't yell at me at all. She… congratulated me, actually."  
"You're kidding."  
"Not at all."  
"She never said that to me."  
I shrugged. You had the same… problem?"  
"Of course I did." He looked at me. "Around a year ago, I started to like a girl, Amy Roberts, but when I told mom, she went off on me. Mom and dad never got along with Amy's parents. I didn't care that they didn't approve so I asked her out. When I told them, they freaked and grounded me." He shook his head. "It was worth it, though."  
"Really?"  
"Oh, yeah. I really like her and she liked me. I didn't care that mom and dad didn't like it or even that they didn't like her parents."  
"So what happened?"  
He sighed. "I found out that she cheated on me so I broke up with her. The sucky part was: she cheated on me with some loser."  
"I bet mom and dad were happy."  
"They were; at first. I was really upset about it and they saw it. I started dating this other girl, Isabel. I'm glad they don't know her parents." He said, smiling.  
"So it all worked out in the end."  
He nodded and left.

I changed into pants and a t-shirt and walked downstairs.


	7. The New Kid

Chapter7: The New Kid.  
"Did you see the new kid? She's so short." Tara said, shaking her head a little.  
"What's her name?"  
"Leslie Gold. What kind of name is that?" She said bitterly.  
I laughed. "Is someone jealous?"  
"Jealous of what? Her height? I don't think so."  
I laughed harder. Laura joined in.  
"I don't think we should be making fun of her name. Or height. She can't help that. I'm short too; and you don't care." Amanda said. She sticks up for people, even people she doesn't like.  
"Amanda, you're a great friend and I've known you for ages. We don't pick on friends. If you make friends with her, then we'll quit saying stuff." Tara replied.

"I think I will."  
Tara rolled her eyes.  
Laura and I laughed quietly.  
Amanda walked over to Leslie and started talking to her.  
Leslie smiled and they walked back over to us.

"Everyone, this is Leslie. Leslie, this is Tara, Laura, and Leah." She said.  
We all said hi at the same time which made Laura and I laugh.  
"I'm having a sleep over this Friday and I want to let you all know that you're invited." Tara announced. "Leslie that includes you too." She smiled.  
"I wonder if she'll even come." Laura whispered in my ear.  
"She's invited; let's see if she comes." I whispered back.  
Tara handed her a piece of paper that looked like her address. "I hope you come. We wanna get to know you better."  
Leslie said something then she walked off.

Later that night.  
After dinner, mom and I started washing the dishes. I was talking to her about school and about the sleep over.  
"Go and have fun. Who all is she inviting?"  
"From what I've heard, me, Laura, Leslie (the new girl), and Amanda."  
"How's Leslie?"  
"She seems nice. I haven't really talked to her much." I passed her a plate and she put it in the dishwasher.  
"So you aren't the new girl anymore?"  
"Nope." I said, smiling.

Friday:  
Laura and I walked into Tara's house together. We were the first one's there.  
"I'm glad you two came!" She said, hugging us. "I don't think it'd be much fun with Amanda and Leslie."  
Laura looked… hesitant.  
Tara caught herself. "I meant… well you know how quiet Amanda is and I have no idea if Leslie would be a party person."  
I laughed at her embarrassment and she glared at me. I put my hands up in surrender and stepped back.  
She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Let's go upstairs before Isabel tries to start something."

Her room has electric blue walls with hardwood flooring. It looked amazing.  
There was a knock on the door downstairs. "I'll go get that. It's probably them."  
I dropped my duffle bag and sat down on the bed.

She came back with Amanda and Leslie. She smiled at me but I could tell it wasn't real and rolled her eyes. She grabbed Laura and my hands and sat us down on the floor.  
She waved for Amanda and Leslie to come over and sit. They did.  
"Initiation time." She looked at Leslie and I. She pulled a book out from under her bed and placed it between us. "Right hands." We placed our right hands on the book: The Bible.  
"Do you, Leslie Gold and Leah Roslyn Lane, promise to never steal boyfriends from any of us and protect all of us?"  
"I promise." We said at the same time.  
"Then I hear by declare you both: in the clique."  
"You may now kiss the bride." Laura said, bursting out laughing. I smacked her shoulder and laughed. "Just Kidding!"

We painted each others nails and started styling each other's hair.  
Amanda's hair was straight, along with mine, Laura and Tara's hair was curled, and Leslie crimped hers. I put my light brown hair into a high ponytail then we had the pillow fight.  
Tara got Laura and me in one hit so we hit her like crazy.

We were lying around, breathing heavy from the fight when Tara brought up something. "So, Leslie. 'You got your eye on any of the guys at school?"  
She shrugged. "Bryan Hobart's kind of cute but he seems too stuck up. Who do you like?"  
"He is stuck up-trust me. I like Cory Heart." There was a gleam in her eyes. "Laura, it's time you tell us."  
She hesitated but continued. "I like… Josh Duran."  
"I knew it!" Tara and I said at the same time. We all started laughing.  
"Leah, who do you like?"  
"She's got a boyfriend!" Tara said, teasingly.  
"Who?"  
"Thomas Sprat."  
"Really? He's gorgeous!"  
I laughed.  
"He's off-limits for all of us." Tara, Laura, and Amanda said at the same time.  
Leslie looked confused. "Except Leah, of course."

We all went to sleep around 2am except for Laura, Tara, and I.  
"Normally the newbies would be pranked but since you're awake, you can help us get them." Tara said to me.  
I nodded, smiling.  
We pranked Amanda and Leslie with the old shaving cream and the feather trick. Then we passed out.


	8. Encounter With An Old Relative

Chapter8: Encounter with an Old Relative.  
I chose Sam to go with me instead of mom or dad because he was calmer. I didn't think they'd let him come with me at all.

We walked through the halls, standing beside each other. I had my eyes forward thinking about what was about to come.  
I sat down at a table and picked up the phone.  
"I heard about your mother's death."  
I show a complete poker face but inside I'm crying uncontrollably. I nod.  
"Who's this? Your boyfriend?"  
"He's my brother." I say, toneless.  
"Brother? What the hell happened to you?" He sounds mad.  
"I got adopted. You were a lousy father anyway."  
"Shut up."  
I smiled an evil smile. "Make me."  
He growled. "Why were you in the hospital?"  
I glared at him. "I was in a mental hospital, where you should've been. Mom died, I got adopted, and then I had surgery. This was all **your** fault." I said, bitterly.  
"You can't blame that on me. You were always crazy. I thought you would've run away months before."  
"I'll blame **everything** on you. You made me crazy and you practically killed mom. I had every right to want to move away but I wasn't going to leave mom with **you**."  
"She wouldn't have died if you ran away. We would have been perfectly fine without you around."  
I swallowed back tears. My voice was shaking. "She'd be happy with me if you weren't around."  
"Oh, give it a rest. You were brought here to talk about your mother's will."  
I didn't think she had one written yet since she was only 40 years old. "What about it?"  
"Did you know that she left everything to you?"  
"Of course I knew that. She told me on my birthday. Unlike you, she actually loved me. You just paid for the house. We couldn't move out because we had no money but if we did; we would've been gone years ago. The will said that she left me half a million dollars for me, along with everything she owned."  
"I can't believe her! After everything I did for her and all I get is the fridge?"  
Sam laughed beside me. "You did absolutely nothing for her except hurt her!"  
He stood up.  
"We're done here." I said getting up.  
Two security guards grabbed his arms and handcuffed his hands behind his back, walking him out.  
Sam and I left.

This whole thing started when a letter came in the mail.  
I was walking back from getting the mail when I saw a letter. I stopped dead and gasped.  
I opened it and read the letter. It said that in my mom's will, I was given half a million dollars and everything she owned-except my dad.  
I ran back to the house.  
I slammed the letter, along with the other mail, on the kitchen table in front of mom and dad.  
"Can you believe this?"  
"Half a million dollars?" Sam asked in amazement.  
"This says you have to go see your dad."  
I sighed. "I know."

Where we left off…  
"Why is your dad in jail? He would've had to have done something bad enough."  
I took a deep breath and looked around. No one was in hearing distance. "My dad raped and molested me two days before my birthday. He said if I ever told anyone, he'd kill me and my mom. Then he raped me again, the night before we… parted. I took a knife from the kitchen and cut my arm." I lifted up my sleeve and showed him, then continued. "I sat in my closet and hid from my dad, crying. When I heard the door opened, I got so scared. My mom found me, then I told her about what happened and she called the cops and told them."  
Sam wrapped his arms around me. "You know your dad's in jail for over 20 years."  
I nodded. "It's not enough. I miss my mom so much and putting my dad in jail isn't going to bring her back." I was crying.  
"I know." He pulled me closer to him.

Later that night.

When we got home, I ran straight upstairs to my room.  
Mom came up after 5 minutes and sat down beside me. "Leah, can we talk?"  
I sat up.  
"Sam told me about what happened today." She was quiet for a few seconds then she kept going. "He told me what you told him."  
I looked down. "Sam was the second person I told-my mom being the first."  
"I can see why you kept that a secret. It would have been hard for me to tell anyone."  
"I was afraid to tell anyone, before, even my mom. I didn't want my dad to kill her." Tears started streaming down my face and I hugged mom.  
"Leah, honey, it's ok now." She whispered.  
I nodded.  
"You don't have to go see your father anymore if you don't want to."  
"Thanks. I never wanted to see him in the first place."  
"We all have to do stuff that we don't want to." I nodded in agreement. "Why don't you come down and have some dinner? I ordered pizza." I smiled.

"'You feeling any better?" Sam asked when I showed up downstairs. Mom said it was only going to be the three of us for dinner tonight.  
"Yep."  
He grinned at me.

After dinner I called Tara and Laura; three-way.  
"Why weren't you at school yesterday and today?" They said at the same time.  
"Thomas has been asking about you." Laura said.  
"I had to go out of town and see my other dad. We had to settle out my mom's will."  
"What'd she leave you?" Tara asked.  
"She left me everything."  
"Everything?"  
"Everything she owned-except my dad (thank God) and half a million dollars. She saved the money for me. I'm surprised she didn't move us out with the money."  
"H-half a million d-dollars?" They said together.  
"Yeah."  
"Why didn't she give it to your dad?"  
"If she gave my dad the money, he would've bought beer with it. I could use it for something more purposeful. My mom loved me more than my dad, anyway."  
"Who went with you? Your mom?"  
"Sam went with me."  
"So that's why Isabel's been so quiet…" Tara said, mainly to herself.  
"Are you coming to school tomorrow?"  
"I guess so. I doubt I can skip anymore without a purpose."  
"Are you gonna see your dad again?" Tara asked.  
"Not unless it's important. I don't like my dad enough to want to see him more than twice a year."  
"Wow. He must have done something really bad for you to hate him that much."  
"He did."  
"Look, don't tell Amanda or Leslie but if you have a secret that you don't want to share with us, it's ok." Tara said.  
"How'd you know?"  
"I can tell. I've gotta go, my mom getting prissy."  
"Bye." She hung up.  
"You should call Thomas."  
"Ok. I'll see you tomorrow."  
"See ya'"  
We hung up and I called Thomas; voice mail. I hung up. I'll talk to him tomorrow.


	9. Grandma Elizabeth

Chapter9: Grandma Elizabeth.  
"Leah, you have a visitor." Mom yelled up the steps.  
I dropped my iPod on my bed and ran downstairs.

There was an old woman at the door and I was surprised that she came here to see me.  
"Hi."  
"Leah, I'm Elizabeth Jen." Jen was my mom's maiden name. This must be my grandma.  
"You're my… grandma?"  
She nodded. "Yes. I heard about your mother's passing and I brought you something of her's. When I saw that she gave you everything, I wanted to make sure you got this." She handed me a box. I opened it and there was jewelry in it along with a note: _To Leah Roslyn:  
I give this box to you, Leah Roslyn. I hope you enjoy this. I wanted to give this to you but your father would have found it and sold it so I kept it with my mother. If I don't give this to you, I want you to know that these were my favorites and that I intended to show you these: enjoy! P.S. They're family air looms-use wisely!_

"I had to track you down but it was necessary."  
"Thank you." She hugged me and left.

"What does the note say?" Mom asked.  
"It said that she gave me her family air looms." I handed her the letter and walked over to the table, sitting down.  
She came over beside me. "These are beautiful."  
I nodded.

"I have to show you guys something."  
"What is it?" Laura asked.  
"It's something my mom gave me."  
"Well, where is it?" Tara asked.  
"It's at my house. It's too valuable to bring here. Come home with me and I'll show you."  
"Ok." They said.

We ran inside and ditched our backpacks at the door.  
"Hey, we'll be upstairs for a while."  
"Ok."  
We ran to my room and I closed the door.  
I got the box from under the bed and showed it to them.  
"Oh my gosh! This must be worth a ton of money. They're so beautiful!" Laura said.  
I handed them the note then they looked at me in shock.  
"Anything else happen that we should know about?" Tara asked.  
"My grandma showed up with these. I'd only saw her a few times. Only holidays."  
"Did she say anything else?"  
"No."  
We talked a little more about it then we changed the subject.

Four Days Later.  
The phone rang. Mom picked it up.  
I quit paying attention to it and continued to read my book.

"Leah, can we talk?"  
Oh no. I nodded though I was panicking inside.  
"That was the detective and he said that you should go to your house and take anything you want."  
I sighed. "Okay. When are we going?"  
"Tomorrow. Do you want me to go with you?"  
"I could go alone. It wouldn't make a difference."  
"No, Leah. I want someone to go with you."  
"I could go." Sam offered.  
I looked up and saw him at the bottom of the stairs.  
"If you want me to." He added. I nodded.

We walked in the house and I walked straight to the kitchen sink.  
"The knife's still here." I said, looking at it.  
"Is there blood?" Sam asked.  
"No. It's… clean."  
I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. I grabbed some movies and put them in the bag. I headed for the stairs.

I ran up to my room and unlocked the door. So many terrible memories came back to me.  
I put all my clothes into the bag and grabbed my blue converse, stuffing them into the bag as well. I grabbed almost everything and took it with me.

I walked into my parents' room for the second or third time in my life.  
I opened the closet and saw clothes with blood on them. I couldn't tell if the clothes were my mom's or my dad's but all I could think of was what happened that night. I leaned against the wall, dropping the clothes, and sliding down to the floor. I was crying. I wiped the tears away with my sleeve quickly.  
"Leah, are you okay?"  
I stood up; wiping more tears away, and took a deep breath. "I'm fine, it's just…" I looked at the clothes then I walked away.  
"Oh, here." He took the bag, which was kind of heavy from all of my stuff, and my hand and walked us out.  
I stopped dead as soon as I saw **her**. "Grandma, what are you doing here?"  
"I came here to talk to the detective. Why are you here?"  
"I came to get my stuff, from the will."  
"I didn't think that you'd be allowed here since it's a crime scene." She was really starting to get on my nerves. I don't care if she's family, she'll get a fight if she doesn't leave the subject.  
"I'm a part of the scene. Look, this happened with **my** family and I can't change that you can't accept that. Let's go."  
Sam threw my stuff in the trunk and we left, leaving Elizabeth where she was without another word.  
"Well, you handled that nicely."  
"I didn't want to start anything. She was getting on my nerves so I told her. Just not literally."  
He laughed.  
"I'm tired of people telling me that this isn't my problem." I sounded bitter. I was trying to leave the bitterness with my father so he could feel how much I absolutely hated him.

When we got home, I ran up to my room and closed the door.  
There was a 'ding' from my laptop and I saw that I had an IM waiting. It was from Tara.  
_How was the house raid?  
It wasn't a raid. It was __**my**__ house, btw. My grandma showed up and started getting bitchy. She is so annoying. I flipped.  
Ha, I wish I coulda seen that. I woulda laughed my brains out.  
That's impossible.  
Not 4 me!  
Anyway, going 2 my old house brought back some… bad memories.  
Can you come over?  
Idk, call over and ask my mom.  
Gotcha'. I'm callin' now.  
_The phone rang.

Mom came up the steps and into my room. "Do you want to go over to Tara's now?"  
"Yeah."  
"Okay." Back on the phone: "She's on her way."  
_Nice__  
Anytime._

I knocked on the door and Tara opened it, pulling me inside quickly.  
"What?"  
"Come on. Sam's gonna be here any minute." She was still griping my hand while she pulled me upstairs. The doorbell rang as soon as we got into Tara's room.  
"So, you ok?" She asked, looking at me.  
"I'm fine." I said, but it wasn't too convincing. "Why?"  
"Your eyes are red."  
"They are?"  
"Yes, they are." She pushed me in front of the mirror and my eyes **were** red. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"  
I hesitated and walked over to her bed, sitting down.  
I told her everything that happened and she hugged me. I hugged her back.


	10. Tell Me EVERYTHING!

Chapter10: Tell Me EVERYTHING!  
Thomas took my hands and looked into my eyes. "You haven't done this before, have you?"  
I shook my head. "I haven't."  
"It's easy. Put your arms around my neck and follow your heart." Ahh, he's so romantic.  
He kissed me and I did what he told me. I felt his hands on my waist and I could've fainted.  
"I'll be over tomorrow."  
"I'll be at Tara's for a while. I'll call you when I'm home."  
"Okay." He hugged me and then he left. I stood there for a minute then I ran inside.

"Tara, you'll never guess what happened." I said as soon as the door closed.  
"What?"  
"Thomas kissed me."  
"Well? Tell me what happened."  
I went through the details and her face lit up. She hugged me.  
"Did you tell anyone else?"  
"No, I didn't."  
She grabbed the phone and started dialing.  
"Who are you calling?"  
"Laura, of course."  
_Laura, get your butt over here.  
I don't care. We have good news that __**you**__ need to here.  
_She sighed. _Well, hurry up and get over here.  
I don't need excuses!  
_She hung up.  
"What?" I asked, laughing.  
"Her parents are yelling at her because she snuck out last night with me. Apparently, a first kiss isn't important enough for her."  
"Why'd you sneak out?"  
"We went and TP-ed some guys' houses for fun. They weren't the nicest to us so we…got back at them."  
"And you didn't get caught?"  
She laughed. "No, I do that all the time. I haven't got caught once."  
"How many times have you done it?"  
"About 5."  
There was a knock on the door downstairs.  
"Laura's here." She ran out the door and came back up shortly after dragging Laura inside.  
"Why are you so persistent?"  
"Do you want to hear this or not?"  
"Well, of course I do!"  
"Thomas kissed me." I butted in.  
She gasped and started squealing. Tara rolled her eyes. "He did?"  
I nodded.  
"Tell me everything!"  
I told her everything that happened.

"You wanna go TP houses?" Tara asked.  
"Tara, I can't. I'll get in trouble again."  
She sighed. "'You wanna go then?" She asked me.  
"Sure." This sounds like fun.  
We walked to her neighbor's house while Laura followed; only wanting to watch.  
"He's been the worst neighbor I've ever had and people move around her all the time."  
I climbed up a tree and tossed a roll. I fell out of the tree, landing on my arm.

Laura ran over to me. "Leah, are you ok?"  
I looked up at her but I couldn't see her right. "Ugh."  
She already had her phone in her hand, dialing some number.  
Tara ran over and put her hand up. "How many fingers?"  
"Four."  
"She hit her head. She's got a concussion, no doubt." She said to Laura.  
I blacked out.

I woke up and my head hurt along with my arm. "Ugh." I groaned, putting my head on my forehead.  
"She's awake!" Mom said, from behind me.  
She hugged me and I could feel the brace on my arm. It went over my palm, past my wrist, and stopped an inch from my elbow.  
"What were you thinking?"  
"Huh?" I had no idea what she was talking about.  
"Why did you go TP someone's house?"  
I was still confused but I remembered some of what happened. "We wanted to have some fun last night. I never thought I'd end up here."  
"Maybe next time, you'll think before you go and hurt yourself."  
"Hurt myself…" I repeated.  
A doctor walked in, looking at a clipboard. "You can go home now. I'd recommend that you don't climb another tree for a few days." He looked up. "You have to get some rest the next two days and you need to lay off your arm, as well."  
I nodded.

"I'd ground you for TP-ing that house, but your arm is enough."  
I sighed, looking out the window.  
"You should be glad Mr. Maine wasn't home when you did that. He could have called the cops and you'd be in trouble right now."  
"I know, mom."  
She looked away from me and towards the road.  
"I'm sorry that I did what I did earlier, mom. It won't happen again." Tears streamed down my face as I got out of the car, slamming the door. I ran into my room and closed the door. I laid down on my bed on my stomach. The door opened.  
I jumped when mom sat on the side of the bed and started rubbing my hair.  
I didn't look up at her.  
"Get some rest and we can talk in the morning." She kissed my head then she left.

The next morning.  
I walked into the kitchen, quietly, and sat down at the table. I put my bad arm on the table and mom turned around.  
"'You wanna tell me what happened?"  
I looked down and shook my head. "You'll yell at me."  
"Leah, I won't yell at you." She put her hands on both sides of my hand and looked at me.  
"Tara said that she never got caught and it sounded like fun. I figured we could do it and we wouldn't get into any trouble. I guess I was wrong."  
Sam walked in and sat down. "I heard about what happened last night." He was smiling.  
"Everyone did."  
"I'm impressed though I wouldn't have got caught."  
"I would have still found out."  
He rolled his eyes.


	11. Endings

Chapter11-Endings.  
My dad ended up getting life in jail without parole but that didn't bring my mom back.  
I haven't TP-ed anyone's house in a long time.  
Sam moved out when he was 18 and Emily moved out when she got her degree. The house seemed lonely without them here but I got used to it and even learned to like the silence.  
When I was 16, Tara, Laura, and I went to the mall and got our lips pierced (right above our chins and below our lips). My mom freaked of course but she got over it.  
Everything turned out almost like it should have which was all I could have asked for.

* * *

This isn't the end for Leah and Pain. It's just the beginning. I loved this story so much that I'm writing a sequel to this story called Secrets.  
Give me any ideas after you read chapter one.  
Please, thanks, and I hope you enjoyed this.


End file.
